This invention relates generally to a battery charge indicator, and specifically to a device for determining the remaining useful life of a battery in an operational envvironment while the battery is connected to the load.
In many applications of electrical equipment, such as military, medical and the like, equipment operational readiness is a primary consideration. A problem with battery powered equipment has been determining the useful remaining life of the battery. With the use of some of the newer batteries, whose lifetime may be from 50 to 80 hours, it is difficult for an operator to accurately and consistently determine equipment on time and therefore impossible to determine in all situations whether or not a battery should be replaced. A specific example would be field employment of a battery powered radio in the military. The instant invention provides a device which will allow an operator to determine with relative accuracy the expected life of the battery so that the operator would know whether or not to replace the battery in a particular operational load. The device is especially useful for battery powered radios which are commonly found in military or other communication oriented environments. With the use of the instant invention, premature replacement of batteries will be eliminated or reduced, resulting in reduced cost of equipment operation.